Spring bed-bottom



(No Model.)

No. 442,287. Patented Dec. 9, 1890.

C G cu.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS E. OBRIEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPRING BED-BOTTOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,237, dated December 9, 1890.

Application filed July 2, 1890. Serial No. 357,489. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS E. OBRIEN, of Chicago, in the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring Bed-Bottoms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in spring bed-bottoms, in which a coil-wire or other elastic fabric is employed in conjunction with vertical springs; and the object of my improvements is to provide a bed-bottom of this class capable of being folded upon itself and of extension laterally, whereby one size or width of bed-bottom is adapted to use with different widths of bedsteads. This object I have attained in the bed-bottom constructed as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top view of a bed-bottom of the class mentioned containing my invention. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, and Fig. 3 is an end view showing the same folded.

The bed-bottom as illustrated is composed of a continuous upper section of coil-wire fabric A, which is of the proper length and width to fill the area of the largest size bedstead, which upper section is provided with two rectangular frames a, of wire, run into the coils of the fabric, so as to hold the two outer opposite side portions of said upper section taut and leave a flexible section a between said frames running longitudinally through the center, two lower sections A, of coil-wire fabric, with similar frames a and a series of vertical springs 13, which have their top and bottom ends woven into or secured to the fabric of the upper and lower sections A A within the area of said frames a (L2, so as to hold said sections of fabric and said frames together. There are thus provided two rect' angular spring parts of the bed-bottom, which are of uniform height and bound all around their upper and lower edges by the wire frames (6 (t and connected at their upper surface by the central section, which is devoid of any stiffness or pushing resistance. The width of said central section a is designed to be about the width of the difference between widths of different sizes of bedsteads as usually made say from two to four inches or more. The flexibility of this part permits the frames 61,66 to be folded upon each other, as shown in Fig. 2, and to be adjusted toward and from each other through the distance of the width of said section,which will sag between said frames or be drawn more or less taut, according to the relative position of said frames. The mattress proper will ordinarily bridge over the spaces between said frames when the said central section is in considerable sag, and when said section is made taut by the separation of said frames it will support the mattress in the center. In case said central section is made of unusual width I provide cross rods or wires 0, which are hinged at c to one of the wires a, the opposite end being supported loosely on the opposite wire a in such manner as to permit said frames to slide toward and from one another and at the same time fold in the manner shown.

I contemplate making three sizes of such bed-bottomsone for the different sizes of single bedsteads, one for the different sizes of three-quarter bedsteads, and one for the different sizes of full bedsteads.

What I claim is 1. A spring bed-bottom composed of two independent rectangular spring parts of uni form height and connected together at their upper edges by a continuous central flaccid longitudinal section, as a, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

A spring bed-bottom composed of two rectangular parts of uniform height connected at their upper edges by a flaccid continuous central section, as a, and having cross rods or wires, as C, pivoted at one end to the frame of one of said rectangular parts and having the other end adapted to rest loosely upon the frame of the opposite rectangular part, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a bed-bottom of the class described, the combination, with the continuous upper section Aof woven coil-wire, of the two frames ct, each composed of an integral wire extended around the four sides of a rectangular parallelogram, said frames being connected to said section in such manner as to hold taut corresponding portions of said section on opposite sides and leave flaccid the central portion a, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

THOMAS E. OBRIEN. Witnesses:

WM. R. GRIswoLn, J12, J. W. MERRIAM. 

